Many businesses are using social media like Twitter to supplement their customer service operations. But a new study says not all companies are using the microblogging service as they should.

Customer service ratings company STELLAService reviewed more than two dozen major retailers and found less than half of the questions asked on the companies’ Twitter sites received answers within a 24-hour period.

In a two-month test, only Zappos.com and LLBean.com responded to every question customers asked (Zappos often did so within an hour). Other top-rated companies for Twitter customer service were Overstock.com, Dell.com, and Best Buy.

With the immediacy of the internet, many people like using Twitter because it’s an easy way to engage in a quick dialogue. And some companies, like Southwest Airlines, also understand concerns voiced via social media have an audience — so they work hard to ensure customers with service problems are promptly assisted.

“It’s becoming clear that social media savvy consumers are an incredibly important segment of any company’s customer base, both because they have higher service expectations and they have wide broadcast networks for sharing their experiences with others,” said STELLAService CEO Jordy Leiser.

“By failing to take Twitter seriously as a customer service channel, companies may be inadvertently ignoring some of their best customers at their own peril.”

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